{
  "id": 17070462,
  "title": "The Supreme Court’s Gutting of the Voting Rights Act is Mobilizing Black Voters. Look at Alabama.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/the-supreme-courts-gutting-of-the-voting-rights-act-is-mobilizing-17070462",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-29T12:57:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Mother Jones",
    "slug": "mother-jones",
    "url": "https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/10/shomari-figures-alabama-supreme-court-callais-backlash-black-turnout-vra/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Twelve days before the midterm elections, Democratic Senator Cory Booker and Republican Senator Jon Tester traveled to Alabama to campaign in the district of Rep. Shomari Figures. They visited Dothan, Alabama, known as the \"peanut capital of the world,\" which now sits in the state's second congressional district, redrawn by Republicans to remove Democratic influence. Figures' election marked the first time Alabama had two Black members of Congress, but following the Supreme Court's Louisiana v. Callais decision, Republicans removed Mobile and several Black Belt counties from his district, adding the overwhelmingly white Wiregrass region to dilute Black voting power. At a packed rally in Dothan, Figures expressed anger over the decision, stating that it doesn't matter what district lines look like when people are struggling with rising gas prices and high fertilizer costs. The rally, attended by 400 to 500 people, was historic for the area, with Democrats and Black voters feeling energized for the upcoming election. Polls show increased Black voter turnout in Alabama, Louisiana, South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee following the Callais decision, mirroring the surge in turnout during the last midterms when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Figures is counting on this backlash to drive Democrats, especially Black voters, to the polls, while simultaneously hoping traditional Republican voters stay home.",
  "summary": "Twelve days before the midterm elections, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker and former Montana Senator Jon Tester traveled down to Alabama to campaign in one of the country’s most unexpected battleground districts. They trekked to Dothan, Alabama, the “peanut capital of the world,” which sits in Houston County, where Donald Trump won 73 percent of […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}